April 14- The Saudi Aviation Flight Academy (SAFA) will soon be launched in Jeddah to train commercial and private pilots, it was learnt on Tuesday. The academy is being developed in collaboration with the Saudi Aviation Club and the Saudi Bin Laden Group.
With an estimated cost of SR300 million the academy will be housed over 50,000 square metres and will be built on the Thumamah airfield near Riyadh. The groundbreaking ceremony is due to take place on April 22.
In this regard, the academy will accept the first batch of trainees in December 2010, said Captain William Roe, Managing Director of SAFA. The opening entry of 36 students will increase to 200 per annum over the next five years.
"The latest figures indicate that, given the attrition rate in air crew and the current supply of trained pilots, the Middle East will need about 20,000 new pilots over the next 10 years," he said. "The academy is designed to provide the feedstock for retiring crew and address the increasing demand for both commercial and private pilots,”  he added. Meanwhile,  facilities will include all training, residential housing, recreational, and administrative offices.